Russian newspaper Pravda (Truth) celebrates its 100th anniversary

Spekhov Yevgeny, editor of correspondence department, shows an issue of paper 'Pravda' from 10 May 1945 after the capitulation of Nazi Germany in the editorial office of Russian Communist party newspaper 'Pravda' (Truth) in Moscow, Russia on Friday. Russian celebrate 100 year anniversary of the first issue of the newspaper 'Pravda' which was published on 05 May 1912 in St. Petersburg, becoming the biggest newspaper during the Soviet period of the Russian history and the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Russian Communist Party from 1912 until 1991 when the paper was closed down after the decree of the President Boris Yeltsin. In 1997 Russian communists recovered 'Pravda' as an official paper of the Russian Communist party.

Sergei Ilnitsky / EPA

A journalist works near the memorial working place (R) of the wife of Vladimir Lenin Nadezhda Krupskaya in the editorial office of Russian Communist party newspaper 'Pravda' (Truth) in Moscow.

Sergei Ilnitsky / EPA

Pre-anniversary issues of paper 'Pravda' (Truth) are pictured while on the production line at the printing works outside Moscow.

Sergei Karpukhin / Reuters

Boris Komotsky, editor of Pravda newspaper, works at his desk in an office, with an image of Soviet state founder Vladimir Lenin seen in the background, at Moscow.

Times are hard. But its editor says that battling hostile authorities, the threat of closure and financial problems is how Pravda spent its early years after first appearing in St Petersburg on May 5, 1912, until the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution.

"In many respects our role and purpose has gone back to what it was before 1917," Boris Komotsky said in his office in Moscow's Pravda Street, a huge photograph of Soviet state founder Vladimir Lenin reading Pravda on the wall behind him.

"We are the opposition's main organ, fighting for power, for policy changes. We've gone though so many problems. Now each of the workers here is a hero. At times they've had to work without getting a paycheck."